It's a medieval class thing. Tan=poor laborer; Fair skin=wealthy noble.
A lot of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean media also perpetuate fair skin as a beauty standard. Might be from the same class divide bs but I'm positive the whole tan thing is more of an obvious bad make up job on FL's part.
FL is trying to distance herself from the ogFL's appearance and being tan, or even having her face one color while her body is obviously another, is seen as unladylike (nobility is judged on lineage, ability, and, in this Kingdom, beauty). Looking like a laborer with sunned skin makes her undesirable because, if a family's daughter is tan=the family is poor/on hard times (aka debt) and no one wants to marry into debt.
It would be cool to read a manwha with actual POCs, but what this isn't that story.
indeed
Gotta agree with that. She is doing her best to appear ugly by that world's insanely stupid standards and if she simply slathered on makeup, it almost definitely would have occurred to that moron of a cousin of hers to get a maid to do her makeup to make her more marketable. If he thinks her looks are irredeemable, he simply wasn't willing to spend more money on her to improve a 'useless' girl. If the cousin had even the barest notion that she could look better with a bit of makeup and snag one of the 3 original ml, he'd have jumped at the chance.
I honestly still don't like how being tan is considered ugly by her. Pale white skin maybe the beauty standards and considered beautiful but considering Tan skin is ugly maybe taking it too far. Making herself tan to look ugly? Plus freckles? It would much more preferable if she uses too much make up instead like too much foundation, eyeshadow is all over, etc. Etc. I'm from Asia , Philippines, Our beauty standard here people wants to have more whiter skin, it considered more attractive but that doesn't mean being tan is ugly, there's a lot of beautiful people with any skin color